Drugs transported from Atlanta, Ga. carried a street value of over $2 million
A North Carolina man is charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree for
allegedly selling 22 kilograms (over 48 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine in Manhattan and Queens
during an undercover investigation.
Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent
in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Division, New York City Police
Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen
announced the arrest following the arraignment of ANDRADE-MORA in Manhattan Criminal Court last
night.
The investigation was conducted by the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s (SNP) Investigators Unit and
DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF), Group T-23, which is comprised of agents
and officers with the DEA New York Division, the NYPD and the New York State Police.
JUVENAL ANDRADE-MORA was arrested on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at approximately 12:35 p.m. in
the vicinity of 539 West 155th Street in Manhattan and is charged in a criminal complaint filed by the
Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
In the days leading up to his arrest, ANDRADE-MORA travelled to New York City from North Carolina
and allegedly met with an undercover officer on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 12:40 p.m. at 72-12 Northern
Boulevard in Flushing, Queens. ANDRADE-MORA allegedly provided the undercover with one kilogram
of crystal meth wrapped inside a green sweatshirt.
ANDRADE-MORA and the undercover arranged for a second meeting and the sale of an additional 19
kilograms of crystal meth for a wholesale price of $11,000 per kilogram, or a combined $220,000.
Agents and officers used electronic surveillance to track ANDRADE-MORA as he returned to North
Carolina by bus, and then traveled to Atlanta, Ga. On May 11, ANDRADE-MORA returned to New York.
That day, at approximately 12:35 p.m., ANDRADE-MORA allegedly met with the undercover on West
155th Street in Manhattan, and directed the undercover to a black suitcase in front of 575 West 155th
Street, indicating that the drugs were inside the suitcase. The undercover retrieved the bag, and
members of SNP’s Investigators Unit and NYDETF Group T-23 arrested ANDRADE-MORA.
The suitcase contained two plastic bags, each with several plastic bags inside containing a white,
crystal-like substance. The packages weighed approximately 21 kilograms. Field-testing indicated the
substance is crystal methamphetamine. Laboratory test results are pending. Investigators believe the
crystal meth originated in Mexico. The street value of the drugs is estimated at over $2 million.
ANDRADE-MORA was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court and released without bail
being set. Under current New York State law, he could not be charged with a bail eligible offense.
Methamphetamine is categorized as a controlled substance, but not a narcotic drug. Regardless of the
amount of methamphetamine sold or possessed, and regardless of a defendant’s lack of connections to
New York State, under current law judges may not set bail on cases involving only methamphetamine.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan thanked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.
and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and commended her office’s Investigators Unit and Special
Investigations Bureau, and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, including the DEA New York
Division, the NYPD and the New York State Police, for their work on the investigation.
“Methamphetamine, a synthetic drug, is a potentially lethal stimulant, which is driving up overdose
deaths across the country, according to federal health officials. The increased volume of
methamphetamine coming into our city is astonishing, most of it produced in Mexico. Once here, it is
mixed with other dangerous drugs and pressed into counterfeit pills. We work tirelessly with law
enforcement partners to intercept it at the highest levels, and will work with the state legislature to make
sure we have every tool at our disposal to protect New Yorkers from this deadly drug,” said Special
Prosecutor Brennan.
"Illegal drugs like the ones seized in this investigation poison our communities and destroy lives," said
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. "Our department works day and night to rid our streets of
these toxins, and we vow to bring anyone who peddles them to justice. I want to thank the Special
Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, the DEA New York Division, the New York State Police,
and all of our law enforcement partners for their outstanding work on this case."
The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants is presumed innocent until
proven guilty.